Heat applied transfers include a variety of indicia with inks, material layers, and adhesives that become bonded to material layers, for example, apparel such as shirts, jackets, or the like, upon pressurized contact and heating of the transfers and apparel between press platens. New developments in the construction and composition of lettering have resulted in high quality transfers that can be accurately and quickly transferred to the apparel without bleeding or partial interruptions in the bonding of the transfer, as long as the presses can be operated at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time and at a predetermined pressure while providing a smooth adherence surface on the apparel. Nevertheless, heat applied transfer presses must be simple, manually operated devices in order to satisfy the user's need to economically but quickly apply various lettering, symbols and numbering indicia selected by a customer and which must be applied to a selected piece of apparel. Such an apparatus must accommodate many variations in the arrangement of transfers and apparel, as well as the types of transfers and apparel materials available.
Conventional heat transfer press machines are of two general types. The two types include a clam shell type and a swing away type. Both machines include upper and lower platens which are movable relative to one another and create a sealing surface when joined together. A heat source is included in at least one platen to create the thermal bonding of the transfer. The clam shell type includes a hinge where the upper and lower platens are interconnected at one side, which causes difficulty in positioning the selected piece of apparel. The swing away type includes a pivot point on one side allowing the upper platen to swivel to one side or the other, which improves the access to position the apparel but still results in difficulty as the lower platen is fixed at the base.
These heat transfer press machines are known for applying graphic images on textiles or other similar substrates, or to press foil onto an apparel of various shapes and sizes. However, when utilizing a textile or substrate of an unusual size and shape the platens must be able to provide a smooth surface to transfer on. Conventional heat transfer press machines do not always provide such a surface, which results in an uneven transfer and potential damage to the apparel. Therefore, there exists a need in the art to provide an improved heat transfer press machine for forming better resolution in graphic images by providing access to both the upper and lower platen, thereby providing the ability to slide a piece of textile or apparel around the lower platen. For example, a device that forms a smoother surface on a substrate will providing better print resolution and a smoother feel to a printed garment.